[Spoiler] OW PBC1 Chaotic Neutral

[Ginger*]

It would be a mistake to attack their scout, except that combined with Highlander general, leader, forest hill, you have an 85% defense modifier against all ranged attacks. On top of a -20% modifier to his attack from being a tactician leader-general. You could easily tank his slinger for more than 10 turns. 
So, I went ahead and used my surplus orders to move your slinger and whack away over a third of the scout's health.
If he moves his slinger to attack us, he saves his scout but can only tickle us until the warrior arrives* and whacks him (also it drains his orders to attack us)
The only possible problem I see is that the attack cooldown might not be ready before your turn if the attack happened on my turn. But I don't know for sure how that works.
*If he waits around long enough we can switch the Tactician to the warrior and stun-lock his slinger

In hindsight did not mean to overrule you, I'm really sorry, I played my turn before I read your post and am only reporting on it now. I assumed that you simply didn't have the orders available to operate the slinger. 
I think that instead, going forward, you should just leave me a request list of what you want done with my surplus orders, and I'll exclusively do that instead of exercise initiative on your units  


In domestic news in Egypt, we marry a Zealot of the Clerics family, one we hope is likely to become religion head. We also pop Aristocracy from a ruin, which is a huge deal, because now we have 3 laws unlocked, but of course not enough civics to use them. 
   
The sovereignty tech however is now available. And while it will take a considerable time (9-10 years at our current tech rate), it not only gives a 4th law but also the Civics Boost card. Boost cards are tech cards that give a one time boost of yields but must be selected when drawn or are else forever discarded from your tech deck. They're essentially ways to turn research into other resources. The Civics Boost is one of the most significant because it gives a whopping 800 civics, enough to enable 2 laws. 
So as soon as that comes in, we start building strongholds and can produce our 6-strength ranged unique unit the light chariot. 

I also decided to appoint the Clerics Oligarch as my Ambassador, because she was a 4 charisma Orator that boosts all families' opinion by 30 points. Usually, I wouldn't spend 100 civics on an Ambassador this early, but she's 19 so should be there for a long time.

I'm really glad to have an Orator leader and see so much Marble available, because Civics will be a huge limiting factor unlocking fast Egyptian unique units and setting up the religion.
We need 200 civics for Ishtar Gate to raise the culture of all cities and enable Garrisons, we need probably 150 civics to convert all family heads, and an additional 475 civics to adopt state religion and establish our first Theology (think religious bonus the player picks like Civ 5/6), on top of the 1600 civics we need to get 4 laws.

[Bruindane]

There are some interesting combat and unit mechanics that I don't quite understand yet. As my team-mate, you moved and attacked with my slinger, but on my turn I will be able to move and attack again. Does the stun on the scout stun expire on my turn, Kaisers, or yours? If I don't attack on my turn do I go invisible in forests so Kaiser can't see to attack me?

Oh and just to be clear, I hadn't moved my slinger because it isn't my turn yet as Kaiser moves after me and did the settle and scout block. Pessimistically I imagine CMF"s scout could block the other city site before my turn.

And I don't mind my units being moved, please do. Taking out Kaiser's scout is now a possibility so I'm glad you were aggressive. I'm still learning how things work and am on the wrong side of the snowball vis-a-vis Kaiser, but I expected that coming in.

[Ginger*]

About combat mechanics I’ll say that promotions and generals matter, A LOT. Also use the undo function to find the right attack order/tiles to attack from.
We’ll see how the turn order functions when it rolls again to your turn

Misc Notes:
I’ve had a lot of good synergistic events pop up, my development will be very strong so you just have to hold out while I either push Rome in the north or swing down. Egyptian uniques have a lot of mobility, once we get enough, the alpha strike should be decisive. You have to hold out until I’ve got 5-7 Light Chariots and can push back. I’m confident that I can probably pull the weight of losing the city site to Babylon, so we don’t need to go all-out, just conserve and stabilize

CMF could block but that comes
with opportunity cost of not scouting, which is a pretty big loss when ruins are still up for grabs (which for reference have given me 2 techs and 4points of charisma so far)

It looks like they will probably try to leverage Babylon’s position to put the squeeze on you, expend some of the civics to rush settlers if you need to recover from the snowball loss. Although they might laurel rest for Babylonian uniques, I’m not sure to be honest.

Also There’s ruins northeast of your scout (look where I’ve uncovered and follow the mirror)

I will clear the Barb camp in your backrank for you so you can focus your units on the front.

[Bruindane]

Turn 7: Resources and Ruins are not mirrored

I am beginning to suspect that there is one ruin per city site. It is possible that I found the ruin associated with the far eastern city on the previous turn.




I settled mostly blind, under a forced march worried about CMF's scout. I spot the Forest of Thrawn to the north, not named by me, so I know the general path they went. It's not a great city, but we will be building barracks and troops here mostly.  I do start a new settler with the intent to settle another Rider city east.

My slinger started the turn exhausted with a red sword above their head, so that answers some of the combat questions. The implementation makes sense, as I am guessing it loses the exhaustion on your turn.

If you do have spare orders, my second scout can move and my worker near Kaiser's scout should move toward the new city. Can't decide if I should quarry over those camels or wait to pasture it in a few turns. I think my other worker should build a farm by the river.

I have 300 so I can buy a unit, perhaps at the tribal camp that appeared in the fog.

[Ginger*]

So Kaiser decided to stun lock your slinger and is currently hitting it for 1hp per turn :D Yeah have fun buddy

No units available yet at the tribal camp, one will be in 5 turns though. I would also caution against relying on tribal units against Babylon as his leader is steadfast, all units gain 10% against tribal and the leader-general gains an additioanl 25%, but its still probably worth it
Maybe I should buy the unit since I have the orders to operate it, although OTOH you going first in turn order could prevent Rome from buying it with their Orator leader.

I also started a mine with your worker bc its a shame not to use worker turns, I also slightly pulled the other worker back

[Bruindane]

Turn 8: Rock Solid Thracian Peace

I get 180 :ow-stone: for not declaring war on the Thracians. That's good because I got no quarries going yet.

I'm pretty sure I turned off ambition victory, but it appears you still get ambitions. Three cities hooked to a trade network should be easy, assuming I dislodge Kaiser's scout. Are they order starved or camping the site? As a side note, I'm curious if my slinger will hide after not attacking for a turn, we'll see.




We find another Thracian camps and the eastern scout find empty ruins.

[Ginger*]

Yes, the slinger does turn hidden in the forest.
He moved his slinger to go hit your worker that was out in the open, I responded by hitting (and critting) his slinger for 8hp (so now its at 60% health). Of course he will, standing on a forest as he is, go dark in one turn, and we will not be able to catch him with your new warrior, assuming he runs back through the forest to the safety of his new city to heal up. His scout is nowhere to be seen, but since his slinger can no longer pick a pitched fight with ours, its safe to assume that setting up your second rider city there will not be any problem.

Also I've realized that since I go before Chevalier, I can purchase all the tribal mercenaries first (which is a relief because Roman tribal units are really good since they get 3 movement pips).
Also uncovered the Numidians in our backline, we can deal with them later as the focus is to push our foot-hold outwards.

I had a difficult tech choice to make this turn, Military Drill or Stone Boost. I ordinarily would automatically choose to convert 40 research to 200 stone, but losing a necessary tech to the discard pile was too much of an opportunity cost. Barracks are really important (they unlock Officer specialists which are a major development/"industrialization" milestone), and I will have a lot of stone generation anyways from my double-marble Clerics seat and all the mountain adjacency available. I also finished influencing the Landowners Oligarch, bringing them up to Friendly, for an extra two orders per turn per city (currently just 1 city, the capital), and since the Clerics family head likes me more than my wife does, I've ordered her to intercede on my behalf, if all goes well then we should bring our wife (religion head) up to pleased with us, which will make converting everyone possible as we start needing more opinion when we settle more cities and the families become less pleased.

Btw you probably want to pick Military Drill as soon as it becomes available, especially since Barracks are fast to build in an Artisans seat

Edit since you have spare worker turns (Artisans seat and builder gov), why not build Hanging Gardens in your capital? You have the surplus wood and civics to afford its construction, and it's good culture and growth, as well as 2vp. And you have -3 turns on its construction since again, Artisans seat and builder gov. I can also send 100 stone if you need me to help cover costs.

The reason I won't be building it is because I have a long list of worker tasks, and I need wood for Monasteries, and am super constrained by Civics.

[Bruindane]

Hadn't considered building any wonders, but with both Egyptian and the Thracian stone it will be cheap to do. I've been criminally underutilizing my workers, so it will keep one of them out of trouble. I am slightly worried what happens if I get attacked while building it.

[Bruindane]

Turn 9: Hiram the Explorer

We find ruins next to Rome and we name their nearby Alps for them.




240 :ow-food: is an expensive cost for rhetoric as we sold :ow-iron: to afford it and open up our second set of laws. Likely need riverside farms more than gardens.

Epics

• +10 Culture.png per Military Unit Killed (in nearest city)
  

Exploration

• Movement bonus along neutral river
  
• Scouts Move on Water
  

[Ginger*]

If you can force march and catch Rome's scout next turn, at least without a copious order burn, try to do that, I have my own warrior coming down and have recruited a (weak) barb unit to help out as well.

Also sent you food to spare you the trouble of farm construction, and sent you stone so you can start Hanging Gardens immediately next turn.

Btw, in 3 turns when your Warrior in the capital finishes, it might be worth it to burn some civics to rush-buy a Miner specialist on the Ore and then rushbuy a Settler (so we can push out and secure those Libyan city sites) in your capital with it's soon-to-be second tier culture. Settler will help you catch up a snowball and a Miner on the Ore is really good yield boost to training, and also will bring the sheep within your borders. Also, I usually wouldn't recommend slow-building specialists in any city unless its Landowners (not applicable to Carthage), a military city training officers to be ready to pump more advanced units later, or a city with really high civics income. Preferably you rush with Judge governors because Civics are more valuable than Gold, but Carthage starts flush with civics so it's a shame not to use some to snowball a little faster.